CALDWELL, Idaho — The Caldwell City Council provided updates on the parking meters scheduled to be installed downtown.
- The first fifteen minutes of parking at metered spots will be free.
- The meters are scheduled to be delivered in April and installed in May.
- Parking time on the meters can be paid using coins, credit cards, or an app but they do not accept bills.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Judy Gardea was born and raised in Caldwell and has seen a lot of things change.
But she's not so sure about the new plan to re-introduce paid parking downtown.
"I think it's going to affect the employees that work downtown. They aren't going to have places to park," said Judy.
Though the updated plan includes expanded free parking areas north of Main St., she still worries that will be an inconvenience for some.
"The only thing I'm concerned about is for the elderly and for our clients that are going to be here longer than a couple of hours," said Judy. "They don't want to pay the money to park downtown."
The newly approved plan adds more free parking on the outskirts of downtown. The green areas allow a maximum of three hours parking and the blue areas have unlimited time.
The yellow area will be permit only.
And the remaining purple and red zones will be paid meter parking for one dollar an hour.
While Judy sees these parking changes as an obstacle, her boss Cathy can see an opportunity.
"That will free up a lot of spaces downtown," said Cathy, owner of Indian Creek Hair and Nails. "Where people can park in front of a business."
Council Member Diana Register provided the following comment:
"While I am hoping that the parking meters alleviate some of the downtown parking issues, I did vote against their implementation due to what I felt was the lack of a solid plan and hoped to be able to hear from more of our business owners and citizens before moving forward."
Parking time on the meters can be paid using coins, credit cards, or an app but they do not accept bills.
The first fifteen minutes of parking at metered spots will be free.
The meters are scheduled to be delivered in April and installed in May.